


Always in the Shadows

by cosmic_dumbass1



Series: Wakko Warner's Struggles of Finding Themself [5]
Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Animaniacs - Freeform, DOT - Freeform, Dot Warner - Freeform, Dot Warner Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Insecurities, Nonbinary Wakko, Nonbinary Wakko Warner, Supportive Siblings, Wakko - Freeform, Wakko Warner - Freeform, Yakko - Freeform, Yakko Warner - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:48:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28593510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic_dumbass1/pseuds/cosmic_dumbass1
Summary: Dot is feeling forgotten, lost within the shadows of her older siblings
Relationships: Dot Warner & Wakko Warner & Yakko Warner
Series: Wakko Warner's Struggles of Finding Themself [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047949
Comments: 2
Kudos: 48





	Always in the Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> sorry for the long wait! this is the fifth installment of my nonbinary wakko series, but you don't need to read the first stories to understand this one. there are a few nods to previous topics in the first stories, but this is still an easy stand alone read!
> 
> also, this is a major vent fic. i think i'm on the verge of having a breakdown so this is just trying to get the bad emotions out :,)

Her siblings always got the spotlight.

Why did they _always_ get more attention than her? Everyone put Yakko and Wakko first, always forgetting or ignoring Dot's existence. What did she do wrong? Why was it that everybody only cared about the oldest Warner siblings and not her?

Was it her strong feminist beliefs?

Was it her voice? Her hair? The way she dressed?

Was it her grown-up way of thinking?

Dot stared at the ceiling, tears prickling at her eyes. Nobody _actually_ liked her, did they? She was always coming in third, her older siblings casting a shadow over her. She was probably too annoying for anyone to like her, with her voice and the way she thought. It was probably enough to turn even the most friendly people away. She rolled onto her side, curling into a fetal position. She held her hands in front of her, tucked into the space between her stomach and legs as she let out a shaky sigh.

Nobody liked her.

She knew this, always had, but it was just now starting to root into her mind. She was too extravagant, wasn't she? Too over the top, too loud? That was probably why Yakko and Wakko left to go to the mall, so that they could avoid having to listen to her talk. That's all she ever did, really, and now she realized it was just bugging people. She felt a tear fall, running down her cheek as she breathed in and out. Another fell, and then another, and soon Dot was sobbing.

She rubbed at her eye, gasping for air as she cried, curling in on herself even more than before. Her breaths were uneven and it felt like she was going to choke, but she couldn't get herself to stop sobbing long enough to even attempt to even her breathing out. She let out a howl, voice breaking as another sob forced it's way out of her. She almost choked on her spit as she forcefully inhaled after, trying to get enough air into her body so she could breathe.

She slowly pushed herself up on her bed, leaning against the wall as tears still fell from her eyes. She wailed, pulling her knees up to her chin and resting her forehead against them, closing her eyes as she looked down.

She was pushing people away, wasn't she? Unintentional, but with the way she talked and bugged people to no end sometimes, she was surprised it took her _thi_ _s_ long to realize it. Nobody found her funny, or thought her ideas were smart. They probably just went along with it so that she'd shut up. Hell, she pushed everyone into fighting for cartoon voting rights in three minutes, not even thinking to see what others thought. She always made it about her, didn't she?

Selfish. Arrogant. Bothersome. Narcissistic.

That's all that Dot was.

Dot let out another pained howl as she played those four words on repeat in her head, thinking of all the horrible ways she had ever acted throughout the years. All of the stuck-up things she said or did, all the reasons why she did something wrong, it was all on a loop as she sobbed.

"Dot, I'm home!"

Wakko's voice rang out into the water tower, echoing around in Dot's mind and putting the unwanted thoughts to a halt. She quickly gasped in a few breaths, wiping at her eyes as she tried to stop crying. It was to no help, however, as a new round of tears formed almost immediately.

"Yakko's still out, said he wanted to buy some gifts for someone, but I wanted to come home. Wanna play the switch?"

Dot shakily lifted her head, looking up at the ceiling to try and stop herself from crying more. She wiped at her eyes again, doing her best to control her breathing so Wakko didn't worry about her. They would probably forget about asking her to play in a bit, they'd most likely need food since they were just out and unable to eat. She really didn't feel like talking to them, especially since she was just crying. She sniffed, rubbing at her eyes again as she listened for her sibling.

"Dot? Little sis, you okay?" Wakko called out. She could hear them padding along down the hall and silently cursed to herself. She sniffed again before pulling a book out of her hammerspace, opening it to a random page just as the bedroom door opened. "Dot?"

Wakko poked their head in, curiously staring at Dot. She gave them a strained smile, tilting her head. "Need something, Wak?" She silently watched as Wakko opened the door further, walking in and plopping onto the bed. They crawled up to where Dot was lying, tail wagging as they smiled back.

"Ya wanna play on the switch? We can play Smash Bros!"

Dot shook her head, waving her book a little. "I'm reading right now, sorry Wak. Maybe next time?"

"Why're you reading it upside down?"

Dot looked at the book. Sure enough, it was upside down. She internally facepalmed, setting the book down onto her lap. "I... find it more enjoyable that way?" She watched as Wakko thought it over, staring off into the distance before looking back at her. "You weren't reading it at all, were you?" Their tone was lighthearted, but Dot could tell her sibling was slightly concerned.

"Uhm, no, but I-"

"Then what's goin' on, Dot? Is it boy trouble? Girl trouble? Did something happen on that one TV show you watch?" Wakko leaned forward, looking closely at Dot. She gave them a shaky grin before faltering, looking down at her lap.

  
"It's nothing."

Wakko reared back, frowning. "Whaddya mean, sis? You can talk to me, I won't tell anybody! Promise."

Dot looked at her sibling, gaze drifting from one of their eyes to the other as she debated on telling them. She had helped them get through a lot of things, like when they were self harming, or when she helped them figure out what kind of stuff they liked to wear when they had their first really bad gender crisis.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna bother you if you wanna play the switch..." She trailed off when Wakko held up a paw.

"Of course I'm sure, baby sis. You help me with my problems, I want to help you with yours."

Dot gave them a small smile, looking down at her lap. She tapped her fingers together, thinking of how to start off. She didn't want to unload everything on Wakko, that'd be rude, but now that she had the opportunity to talk, she really wanted to.

"It's not a problem like you mentioned..." She started, glancing up at her sibling. Wakko nodded, sticking their tongue out as they got situated on her bed. "I've just been feeling kind of left behind. I think that's the best way to describe it. I'm always in you and Yakko's shadow, y'know? You two are fan favorites, while I'm just, here."

Wakko tilted their head, giving a little nod. They didn't speak, letting her finish her thought.

"And I know nobody actually likes me. Nobody thinks I'm funny or anything, right? I'm just annoying, and I always push my ideas onto others. I'm selfish, aren't I? Selfish, full of myself..." She trailed off once more, feeling tears start to prickle at her eyes again. She sniffled, not looking up at her sibling.

"Dottie, there's no _way_ you're selfish! You're the most self _less_ toon I know!" Wakko leaned forward, gently wrapping their arms around her. Dot accepted the hug, leaning into her sibling's embrace as they ran a paw up and down her back. "You're really funny, too. Your humor is different than Yakko's and mine, which is good! It makes _you_ unique and balances us out. And nobody thinks you're annoying, either. You're the least annoying out of the three of us!" They continued, paw moving up to rub behind Dot's ear. Dot smiled, tucking her face into the space where Wakko's shoulder and neck met.

"You really think so?" She mumbled, tail twitching as Wakko continued to pet her head.

"Absolutely, sis!"

Dot's smile grew even larger as she hugged her sibling. She felt tears return, but she knew these were from being validated.

"Thanks, Wakko. I really appreciate it."

Wakko moved their hand back down to rub her back, nuzzling against her. "Of course, Dot."

Dot closed her eyes and basked in the warmth her sibling provided, smiling to herself as happier thoughts flittered around through her head.

**Author's Note:**

> there may be some errors. sorry about the shitty ending, my emotions are out the window right now


End file.
